HRM practices that support the employment and social inclusion of workers with an intellectual disability
| Date | 06 November 2017 |
| Published date | 06 November 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-05-2016-0105 |
| Pages | 1475-1492 |
| Author | Hannah Meacham,Jillian Cavanagh,Amie Shaw,Timothy Bartram |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
HRM practices that support
the employment and social
inclusion of workers with
an intellectual disability
Hannah Meacham and Jillian Cavanagh
Department of Management and Marketing, La Trobe University,
Bundoora, Australia
Amie Shaw
Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources, School of Business,
Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia, and
Timothy Bartram
Department of Management and Marketing, La Trobe University,
Bundoora, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purposeof this paperis to examine how HRMpractices enhanceand/or impede theemployment,
participation, and well-being of workers with intellectual disabilities in three hotels located in Australia.
Design/methodology/approach –The research employs a case study methodology, including interviews
with three HR managers, three department managers, 17 workers with intellectual disabilities, and focus
groups of 16 supervisors and 24 work colleagues.
Findings –The research found that the opportunities to participate in work are driven primarily by
developing a social climate that enables social cohesion through the altruistic motives of managers/
supervisors and reciprocal relationships.
Originality/value –The findings lend support for the importance of both formal and informal HR practices,
such as inclusive recruitment and selection, mentoring, and training and development, as well as
individualised day-to-day support provided by supervisors and colleagues, to improve the participation and
well-being of workers with an intellectual disability.
Keywords Qualitative, Human resource management, Social exchange theory, Intellectual disability,
Well-being, Social climate
Paper type Case study
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to examine the human resource management (HRM) practices
and interventionsaround the experiencesof workers with an intellectualdisability (WWID) in
three leadinginternational hotels operatingin Australia. The day-to-dayexperiences of people
with intellectual disabilities and associated HRM practices are under-represented and
under-researched in workplace settings (Cavanagh et al., 2017; Foster, 2007). Recent research
by Fujimoto et al. (2014)argue that HR policies and practiceshave not advanced the inclusion
of workers with a disability in the workplace. The AustralianInstitute of Health and Welfare
describes intellectual disability as difficulty learning, applying knowledge and making
decisions (Madden andHogan, 1997). People with intellectualdisabilities often have difficulty
adjusting to a change in circumstances and may also have difficulty coping in unfamiliar
environments. Workers with disabilities experience a disproportionately high level of job
insecurity,underemployment and unemploymentcompared with workers withoutdisabilities
(Konrad et al., 2013). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013) reports, there has been a
decline in the employment of people with intellectual disabilities in Australia. In Australia,
Personnel Review
Vol. 46 No. 8, 2017
pp. 1475-1492
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-05-2016-0105
Received 9 May 2016
Revised 8 September 2016
9 January 2017
Accepted 14 January 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
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HRM practices
only 39 per centof WWID were found to be in employmentof which 12 per cent were engaged
on a full time basis. The unemployment rate of people with intellectual disabilities was
reported as 20 per cent, significantly higher than people without a disability at 5 per cent
(Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013).
Hotels play a major part as both employers and advocates of corporate social responsibility
as exemplified by many actively seeking to employ people with disabili ties (Gröschl, 2007).
Commissioned by the Australia Hotels Association, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (2009) report
found that as one of the most significant industries in the Australian economy, the hotel and
accommodation sector provides employment for more than 280,000 people throughout the
country.The average Australianhotel employs 34.7people, with wage expenditure amounting
to on average 21.9 per cent of total hotel expenses. Hotels also have a large budget when it
comes to training and development, and total industry spending of more than $70 million
each year (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2009). The total spending in hotels is estimated to be
$12-13 billion each year, generating a significant amount for the Australian economy. In the
absence of the hotel sector, household consumption would contract by an estimated $3.5 billion,
showing just how much the industry is needed within Australia (PricewaterhouseCoopers,
2009). In this paper, we draw on social exchange theory (SET) (Blau, 1964; Meeker, 1971) and
theories of social climate (SC) (Collins and Smith, 2006) and emphasise a new way of looking at
SET by focussing on organisations successful in the employment of WWID and the
programmes they have in place that ensure a positive social environment. SC may be an
important factor in strengthening social cohesion of employees through shared cognitions,
trust and cooperative networks among employees (Collins and Smith, 2006). HRM needs to
provide effective policies and practices that promote inclusion and we suggest this may be
facilitated through SC. However, there needs to be a clear connection between espoused HR
policies and practices in action (Kulkarni and Valk, 2010). Employers also need more complete
understandings of how to effectively support WWID (Houtenville and Kalargyrou, 2012).
Many managers need to be better acquainted with appropriate disability management
practices and effective recruitment and retention practices for people with disabilities
(Kulkarni and Valk, 2010). Despite some examples of excellent managerial practice and support
of people with disabilities, a number of researchers argue that mainstream HRM does not
sufficiently address the complexity surrounding disability or relationships between people
with disabilities and organisations (Cook and Burke-Miller, 2015; Lerner et al., 2004;
MacDonald-Wilson et al., 2002). Participation of workers with intellectual disabilities in the
workplace will be affected by the type of HR practices that are employed by the organisation as
well as the broader SC. This study aims to identify the practices that enable the social inclusion
and participation of workers with intellectual disabilities. This paper addresses the research
question, how do current HRM practices enhance and/or impede the employment, participation,
and well-being of workers with intellectual disabilities? The scop e of the paper is to consider
HRM practices and the social inclusion of WWID. The researchers selected three case study
sites thata deliberate andpurposeful strategyof employing peoplewith intellectualdisabilities.
This study uses a case study methodology, with three HR managers, three department
managers and 17 workers with intellectual disabilities and focus groups with 16 supervisors
and 24 work colleagues.
Our contribution will look at intellectual disability from the perspective of multiple
actors, including HR managers, department managers, supervisors and work colleagues.
The well-being of those with an intellectual disability is an important social and political
issue as people with disabilities represent one of the largest minority groups in most
countries across the world (Lengnick-Hall, 2007). Moreover, we contribute to the dearth of
literature on the social inclusion/exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities at the
workplace (Fevre et al., 2013) and unpack the processes through which HRM can enhance
the social inclusion of WWID.
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